Penguin Travel

There are few places left on earth that can be described as genuine wilderness. One of them is Kamchatka – nine hours flight from Moscow on the Russian coast of the Bering Sea. This virgin peninsula is 1500 km long and has a population of 380,000 most of which live in the town of Petropavlovsk. Just 30 km out of town the asphalt road turns into gravel. If you are heading further into the wilderness you will need a four-wheel drive vehicle or a chopper. This is the land of geysers, hot springs, about 300 volcanoes (29 of which are active) and beautiful rivers full of fish – the biggest and the most plentiful in the world: King Salmon, Silver Salmon, Char, Rainbow Trout, Kumzha and many more swimming in huge shoals. This must be the ultimate experience of nature – extinct volcanoes in the background, fish swimming in crystal clear waters, a bear plodding along the river-bank and the cleanest air in the world. Big words but not too big. Naturally this enormous and unspoilt wilderness has an abundance of rare wild animals: herds of bears, wolves, Siberian elks, snow sheep, sables, minks etc. The bird life is also unique and many of the species are protected in vast sanctuaries on the east and the south coasts. Here we present this pearl of nature.

Download our trip-dossier as PDF

Departure dates:
08 September 2010

Country region:   Kamchatka

Price without flight ticket:    1750 EUR

Trip plan:
Day 1: Arrive in Petropavlovsk. Helicopter flight to the river Vahil.
Day 2: Fishing and drifting. Daily schedule: Coffee at 8.00, breakfast at 8.30. Floating by 9:30 or so, lunch at app. 13:00. By about 18:00 we build a new camp, dinner is around 20:00.
Day 3: Fishing and drifting.
Day 4:  Fishing and drifting.
Day 5: Fishing and drifting.
Day 6: Fishing and drifting.
Day 7: Fishing and drifting.
Day 8: Helicopter flight to Petropavlovsk. Overnight hotel in Petropavlovsk.
Day 9: Transfer to the airport. Departure
 

Included in the price:   Rafts + one English speaking fishing guide per 2-3 rods, all meals, cook,  tents, matresses, cooking utensils,  helicopter to the river and back, fishing licenses, overnight in hotel in Petropavlovsk after the fishing trip, visa invitation, airport transfers.

Not included:   Flights from Europe, Russian visa, tips, alcohol drinks, fishing tackle rental, personal expenses

Practical information:    • Bringing home salmon - There is no safe way to bring home frozen salmon. But on the local market it is almost always possible to buy smoked salmon at around $ 5,00 a kilo. We had no problems keeping it fresh on the trip home. • Bears - There is a great chance to see one of the Kamchatka bears – unlike the bears in North America they are not considered dangerous and are very shy. Photographers are recommended to bring a 200-300 mm telephoto lens. Our guides are very experienced in handling bears. • Tips/gratitudes - It is customary to give a gratitude to the guides and cook after a good trip. We recommend around 75 US$ per guest. Gratitude is often collected and handed over to the chief guide. • Fishing information: There is excellent fishing for huge Rainbow Trout, 6 species of Pacific Salmon, Kumzha and Arctic Char. Rainbows average 55 cm. and we’ve caught them up to 75! Kamchatka has large Coastal Rainbow Trout which run from 2,2 to 5kg and enter the river from spring on. Summer Run Steelhead or Coastal Rainbows spend most or their lives in fresh water, spending only part of their lives in the ocean. Arctic Char are present all summer. Kumzha (East Siberian Char) are great fighters and commonly grow to 5kg! Salmon arrival times vary from stream to stream but generally arrive the same time in Kamchatka as Alaska. We fish for King Salmon from late June through July. Silvers arrive mid August and run through October. Chum & Sockeye Salmon arrive in July and August. Pinks run early August through September, but only strong on even numbered years.• Opala River - Located on the western coast. Imagine a clear watered small river, 30-70 meters wide and 0,5-1,5 meters deep flowing with a speed of 1,6-1,8 m/sec. Ideal for fly fishing. The length of the river is 161 km. The area of the headwaters is 4070 km2. Besides the large population of Rainbow Trout, the Opala is filled with temptations for the fly fisherman. Each year few hundreds of King Salmon, 5-6 000 Sockeye Salmon, 5 000 000 Pink Salmon, 60 000 Dog Salmon, and 30 000 Silver Salmon do their best to fill up the river. Opala has interesting attractions along the way: a huge volcano, hot and cold springs, gas springs, exciting white water rapids, and also many of the Kamchatka's amazing, shy and absolutely beautiful bears. It has lots of large Rainbows – the queen of the Kamchatka fishing, a big run of Malma and a few Arctic Char. The river is small at the top and gets medium sized near its end. It has a lot of islands, is fairly braided and great for wade fishing.• Vahil River – Vahil is among the most famous places for fly-fishing in Kamchatka. The river is 20-50m wide without white waters and currents, perfect for wading. The whole river valley enjoys tremendous views towards the mountains on the background. There is no Rainbow Trout and Arctic Greyling here, but Arctic Chars exceeding 60-70cm and weight of 3-5 kg are abundant. Kumzha is also numerous, being pretty big at the same time (up to 80cm and weight up to 5-6 kg). Silver Salmons weight on average 4-5kg. We have had records of up to 100 and more Silver Salmons per person per day.

Recommended travel period of the year:   September/October.

Necessary equipment:   We provide the group with tents and cooking pots. You should bring with you:  sleeping bag; warm clothes (at night it gets chilly), wading costume (neoprene preferably), mosquito repellent or a hat with netting covering the face and the neck. For the full list with recommended items see “General” in the detailed trip dossier.

 

Group Size:   7-9 persons

Reservation System Code: RUKAM

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